"Off the beaten path restaurants -no tourist traps!" Los Angeles by aatkin

This advice is directed towards those travelers who favor a more off the beaten path travel experiece, who hate tourist traps and who want to experience more authentic cuisine. It is for those who are willing to drive a few more miles, if that is what it takes to try something unique and who will sacrafice ambiance if that is necessary.

If this is you, read on, because L.A. truly is an amazing place for this kind of culinary adventure travel.

Your first piece of advice is that there is no better city in the country to try such a variety of amazing Asian food. None. Period. I am a native New Yorker. Trust me, neither N.Y. (or San Francisco for that matter) can hold a candle to L.A.

In my opinion, the must haves in L.A. are: Korean; Thai; Chinese (of every type); Japanese and Vietnamese.

KOREAN: For Korean food, the logical place is Korea Town. Korean bbq is a fun way to pass an evening with friends. There is something so convival about grilling your own meat. I would recommend Dong Il Jang, 3455 W. 8th St., as a place with nice atmosphore and quality food.

THAI: A few miles east of the Hollywood central tourist area on Hollywood Blvd, you will find Thai Town. I humbly state that the best Thai food in L.A. is found here. I would recommend Ruen Pair, 5257 Hollywood Blvd as a great place. Also in this shopping center is a place called Palms Thai, which has some great live entertainment from the famous Thai Elvis (and the food is not bad either). You will also find a great Thai dessert place in this shopping center as well.

JAPANESE. Angelenos have very strong opinions on susi, much like the way New Yorkers feel about Chinese restaurants. There are just so many choices in this city. Here are some of my thoughts.

When I want the freshest possible fish and can live without crazy roll combinations and nouveau creations, I head to Saitos, 4339 W. Sunset Blvd, in Silver Lake. From the outside this place looks like a dump. However, the fish served is just so fresh.

When I want more nouveau creations, I skip the overpriced Matsuhisa and head to Wa Sushi, 1106 N. La Cienega Blvd. This place is owned by former chefs from Matsuhisa. So you can try similar things at a much lower price (but still not cheap by any means).

For a great selection of Japanese food, head to Sawtelle Blvd in West L.A. between say Santa Monica Blvd and Olympic. You wil find all sorts of sushi places, ramen joints and other treats.

CHINESE. Do yourself a favor and skip Chinatown in downtown L..A. The place to be is north of downtown in the San Gabriel Valley. A great place to start is the San Gabriel Square shopping center, 140 W. Valley Blvd, San Gabriel. In this 2 level shopping center, you will find Shangai style Chinese at Green City, Islamic Chinese at Tung Lai Shun, Chinese bbq at Sam Woo and a bunch of other options. This shopping center is just amazing.

There is also a really good boba drink place on Valley Blvd, just outside the shopping center that you can walk to for dessert. If you have not tried boba drinks, you are in for a treat.

For dim sum, there are also just way too many choices. I have never been disappointed with Ocean Star, 145 N. Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park.

A great Cantonese seafood place is 888 Seafood, 8450 Valley Blvd, Rosemead. Think tanks with live lobster, crabs and shrimp. This really is a great place.

VIETNAMESE. The rage in L.A. seems to be for Banh Mi, which are these amazing sandwiches. They are made on quality French baguettes with cold cuts or grilled meats, with all sorts of herbs like Cilantro and other vegetables. They are dynamite, especially with an iced Vietnamese coffee. I would recommend Lee's Sanwiches, 1289 Valley Blvd, Alhambra and Mr. Baguette, 8702 E. Valley Blvd, Rosemead.

Wonton soup. Normally, this is not the type of thing, I would give its own category to, until I tried Wonton Time, 19 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra. This restaurant is originally from Hong Kong. All they basically do is wonton soup. I get mine with noodles, wontons and sliced beef. You can also get some steamed chinese brocolli on the side. That is about all they do, but everything is homemade and just amazing.

Well, I suppose you can not live on Asian food alone (although I probably could). Here are some other L.A. recommendations:

MEXICAN: I know this is probably sacrilege, but I do not think overall Mexican food is great in L.A. Sure, we probably have better Mexican food than most of the country. However, when I am really in the mood, I find myself driving to Tijuana or other parts of Baja to get my Mexican food fix.

That being said, there are some good options.

For the high end, I would recommend La Serenata de Garibaldi. Go to the original location at 1842 E. 1st St. In my opinion, it is so much better than the other locations.

For tacos as close as you can get to the real thing, head to the Alameda Swap Meet, 4501 S. Alameda Blvd, Alameda. This is only worth visiting on a weekend day. There are so many great outdoor taco stands. I always choose one that makes the tortillas by hand. The Alameda Swap Meet is a great place to spend a weekend day.

For fish tacos, ceviche and shrimp cocktails, head to Tacos Baja Ensenada, 5385 Whittier Blvd, East L.A.

For margaritas, I am partial to El Cholo, 1121 S. Western Ave. I don't care much for the food which I find to be too Americanized. However, a margarita with some chips and guacomoloe can't be beat.

Also for margaritas, head to El Carmen, 8138 W. 3rd St. You probably will not see one Mexican person there but their selection of tequilas is really impressive.

WINE: I enjoy having a great bottle of wine. However, what I do not enjoy is paying crazy markups. When I am in the mood for a great old Bordeaux or a CA. cabernet, I head to Taix Restaurant, 1911 Sunset Blvd. They have a fantastic wine list, with almost no markup. Yes, you may spend $100 for a bottle, but it will be a 1988 Bordeaux or a 1997 CA Cabernet. The food is just ok however.

PERUVIAN. I am not sure that I have seen a Peruvian restaurant in the U.S. outside of L.A. It really is very interesting, with sort of an Asian feel in some respects. I am partial to Mario's Peruvian, 5786 Melrose Ave. I love their Saltado, which is a mixture of shrimp, chicken or beef, with tomatoes onions, white rice, and believe it or not, french fries. I promise you it tastes better than the description. Be warned this place has no atmosphore and is formica all the way -- not the place for a romantic date to say the least.

Well, I hope this advice makes your trip a little more fun and interesting. Feel free to drop me an email if you have questions or suggestions.